When did I realize that a Xerox British Colonial Empire is impregnated to rule not India but the world

'As a painter and artist I was just busy to study Indian art from ancient and middle ages and discovered on the way the story of Portuguese and British colonial decimation of the persona, the culture, the religions, the identity of India and of Indians. My concerns were the so called Renaissance art and 'Humanism' of Colonial Europe and I found it was one of the most anti-humanity period of Europe. At the base of this was a new Europe of greed, avarice, Racism, religious bigotry, Royalty, nobility and a Church who saw nothing immoral in enslaving and colonizing humanity out  side the pale of Western Europe and Church. For me was perplexing to find beautiful paintings soft sensual shiny rose tinted white flesh of the nude women in the paintings like Titian's Sacred and Profane  or sweet Mona Lisa smiling in her own reverie by Lionardo da Vinci, or the perfect realistic  portrayal of  handsome muscular men  by Michelangelo appeared dichotomous and sham. The images of slaves with wooden shafts locked around their necks, beautiful white women with flowers in bonnet and flounced skirts sitting in carriages pulled by barefoot loin cloth clad Indians or  flesh-bereft starving dying children, men and women. I realised the presence of the white Colonist and slave trader behind both type of images--beautiful Eden of Europe and Hell of all other continents. One was the cause of the other!! It was not Humanism it was a simple case of hunting humans like animals, and ruthlessly gunning down to have access to the gold and silver mines. Brought as booty from the sweat and tears of slaves and colonized to Europe it would finance the aristocratic lives of kings nobility and the Church. Oh not to forget, the gentry would commission best of the artists to paint beautiful pictures of 'Humanism'.  What magic the Colonists and slave traders had--they transformed the blood and tears of the subjugated, enslaved, colonized into such happy 'Humane' art.
From this was born my book 'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore' and was published in Delhi in February 2011. But just as  entered the month of  March 2011, I was drowned in a media blitz about a book published--Civilization: West and the Rest. Indian media-print and electronic had gone dizzy to rewrite the history of Colonialism as dictated by the blessed laureate Professor at Harvard and in  many more glorious institutions. He has put forward a grand new thesis that  it were 'six killer applications' that put West on the godly pedestal and the Rest well the word Rest itself means those who have no identity just lingered.  I wondered how such a big professor be so innocent of the the slave trading, indentured labour, colonization, engineered famines, destruction and decimation of many races from Africa, Asia, Americas and Oceania. But I was wrong it was not innocence.As I read more of his ideas I realized he is advocating the 'return of the Prodigal' the Colonial master to take over the world in twenty first century with a little change in the script. The USA should become the Colonial grandfather of the erstwhile British Colonists. They say USA is home to democracy and here is big Harvard tag professor just suggesting the creation of two worlds that I talked above--a Renaissance for homeland West and slave collar for the Rest.
I also realized it is not important what you say but what position you have and the glorious media relations or connections you can muster. 
How little has changed in the world, the desire to paint well nourished pink opulent images of Renaissance 'Humanism' and the black Indian coolie pulling the 'noble' lady in bonnet still persists at least in Niall Ferguson's thoughts.
But I wonder what happened to Indian media?? They review and interview him and parade his intelligence, positions in universities, his cleverness but not a word on his justification of  British Colonialism.
Mohan das Karamchand Gandhi who is India's icon for many things from non-violence to his fight to throw out  British Colonists must be turning in his Samadhi, finding how many in Indian media are feting  a person who wants the return of the Raj!!! Another example of media spending a lot of ink on 'sensational as news' is about a book on Mahatma by Joseph Lelyveld about his sexuality. For India and the world more important are the ideals Gandhi stood for and nothing more.
Note-- Among the Indian media that I read and saw about his book only Times of India had a review of his book by Minhaz Merchant who raised vehemently the question of colonial atrocities. My rebuttal of Colonial philosophy of Prof. Ferguson every newspaper or journal in West that I emailed published. Alas my own country's media would not invite me for a rebuttal of colonialism  thesis for to share with you I am an Associate Prof in Delhi University which is in the Rest and not in West.
While how IBN 18 online treated my rebuttal of the great thesis of 'killer applications' I have already posted.
But who says I have lost. If our Mahatma Gandhi when thrown out by white colonists from a First class train compartment could throw out the British Colonists. I can fight for my India and for those who gave their lives for the freedom of our great Bharat Mata--Mother India.
Have I not the internet and the blog to tell you that some desire the 'return of the Prodigal Colonist' to India and the Rest!
Please do read the link below about what British Colonial masters  did to us.  it is by a very talented  and truth searching Prof in USA Vivek Chibber.

http://bostonreview.net/BR30.1/chibber.php#c5t_form

Link to Niall Ferguson's justification of British Colonial Chain around India's neck

http://www.johannhari.com/2006/06/23/niall-ferguson-the-row-continues

An Indian can not say that British colonialism was bad through an Indian media chanel

Niall Ferguson justifies British colonialism in India in his book West and the Rest.I Sent a rebuttal of this to  IBN18 online but  they decided not to publish it. I give below what I wrote quoting from my book Mona Lisa does not smile any more.  My lurking worry is, is India media more Western than the West in thinking about India.

Incidentally I sent rebuttal of colonial OCCUPATION justification of Ferguson  to The Guardian UK, The Independent etc, and they published it wIthin 1 hour. But IBN18 ONLINE AFTER THREE DAYS STILL THINKS THAT IT MAY BE WRONG TO REFUTE COLONIZATION OF INDIA BY BRITISH.

My email to IBN when my rejoinder was not published and the material that rebuts West and the Rest.

Hello Meenakshi,   Thanks for taking my call and being helpful. As per the telephonic talk I am putting in attachment the rejoinder to the review of Niall Ferguson's thesis justifying and supporting colonialism in general and in India in particular. In keeping  with the fair tradition of freedom to express you would publish my rejoinder. Incidentally almost similar rejoinders by me have been published by The Guardian UK, Independent, and the Telegraph.  I also resent your reviewer for putting down the receiver when I called to enquire about the rejoinder. It will really be uncomfortable to think my own country's media deny me the right to counter a theory that justfies Brtish Colonialism on India, while the West has published my opinion on the subject. Thank You, Viktor Vijay Kumar  Associate Professor Delhi University The Rebuttal In rebuttal of the racial-superiority and Colonial justification arguments of Ferguson I quote from my book 'MONA LISA DOES NOT SMILE ANYMORE' (ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4) " No human or animal desire to live in cage or chains. Would the British have swapped development at the expense of slavery under Nazis? It is the primary motive that counts, incidental outcomes there from are of no consequence. British subjugated India and sent Indians as virtual slaves to different islands—from Fiji to Mauritius, to West Indies to South Africa—to work as indentured plantation labour, they occupied an independent country and used its resources and humans in a bland exploitative manner over nearly two centuries. It is not stupid but cunning to justify robbing of freedom of other nations. No religion should make a business of distributing moral righteousness by way of force and temptation to convert. No religion should have had legions of missionary priests disembarking from colonial ships, whose life mission was to convert as many as possible. I think that the introduction of ‘missionary’ priests to convert has close links with the colonialism. Colonialism and religion worked together as a synergy to show the dominant power of the ruler. I ask why the colonizers were all Christians and not Jews, Muslims, Chinese or Indians. The justification came from the material power of the king and the Church. Christianity transformed from a religion of the poor and suffering humanity to that of rich and powerful and Colonialism was a manifestation of it." About the 'globalization' Ferguson talks of look up the role of Church in destroying India's culture and religion and I quote from Henry James Coleridge, ed., The Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier, 2d Ed., 2 Vols., (London: Burns & Oates, 1890),  "These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers. They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others. Their hatred for idolatry is marvellous. They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practise it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once. Whenever I hear of any act of idolatrous worship, I go to the place with a large band of these children, who very soon load the devil with a greater amount of insult and abuse than he has lately received of honor and worship from their parents, relations, and acquaintances. The children run at the idols, upset them, dash them down, break them to pieces, spit on them, trample on them, kick them about, and in short heap on them every possible outrage." Naill Ferguson dreams of replicating such a world. His thoughts will come to grief. No East or West should try to be the fascistic moral godfather of humanity and this applies to all--to emerging China and India, or West or USA. For has not the West killed 70 million in II World War and this alone should be the reason enough for West or any among the Rest to not talk of civilizational superiority. One has to be wary, for Hitler was not a person but was an idea that was sold to millions of innate superiority of some in relation to the Rest.

Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art

A message to Editor,

Noah Becker Visual Artist | Musician | Writer| Editor, Hello, I am impressed by your extensive and multifarious talent in creative arts--words, images and music. Your White Hot Magazine is I may say a bit dusty though with colourful plumage. You have such wide ranging coverage on West but another part of earth and India with 1.25 billion people has been in the forefront of art, culture and civilizations. Unfortunately the Western canon of art  and aesthetics applied to India regarded the arts and culture of this ancient land as accolyte and subsidiary to West, which in any case is not true. Indian aesthetics is based on different foundation than that of West. To totally ignore the arts and culture of this great land is I think a glaring omission and than not to have an Indian or Eastern point of view on arts would as it has, make your otherwise good magazine, incomplete and lopsidedly West dominated and focussed. regards, Viktor Vijay Artist

Global, Indian and Western contexts in Art

No present art is isolated from its social, cultural, religious, historical milieu. In my book Mona Lisa does not smile anymore I have compared Indian art with European art in a-historic context. The reason I choose to be a-historic is that there are certain underlying tendencies in art that are like a milling stone and do not float in the current of time. Art of any time proclaims to be an advancement over earlier period and it announces itself modern, rooted in present and carrying futuristic vision. Art does not solve problems of the world but it definitely emerges from the problems of the globe. Europe had through time subjugated and subsumed the individual will into a mechanical systemic impersonal Will. The very power of State challenges the freedom of art artists and people of society. The individual angst of artists because of such regimentation affected deeply the art of modern times. The alienation, loneliness, isolation, separation, denial of freedom, routines and segmentation of humans is reflected in the birth of Expressionism and Existentialist philosophy and literature of Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Sartre, Camus, Andre Gide, Alberto Moravia.

India in contrast always had a social order where shared life, time, religious practices, innumerable festivals, community dinners, singing dancing and music and a collective sharing in community life. This has a far reaching and positive influence on the life and expectations therefrom. The modern and the pre-modern in life and in art in India exists without and apparent contradictions. The process of solving the opposition between the modern and pre- modern is rather slow in Indian art and life. This on account of a different point of view about time.

These are important questions that have to be answered in the context of global art and in understanding modern and present art practices from India, Asia, Europe and USA. The question I deal with in the book Mona Lisa does not smile anymore.

An Indian Modernist—D.K.Roy Choudhery

An IndianModernist—D.K.Roy Choudhery

In the dust of time settle great till someone with discerning eyes take the dust off. I look around me a mad rush and networking to proclaim in a cacophony of market place even flying-in-the-wind pieces as great art, but there were others who worked a lifetime to explicate from the deeper recesses of their souls to give us lasting and refreshing art. They were not daunted by the exigencies of the market place; they painted what emerged from deep within.
One such was D K Roy Chowdhury. His students from college of art Delhi or Kolkata and his colleagues likewise say he was one exceptional—as a human as a teacher and as an artist. He was unassuming about his creations or may be what he created was so way ahead of times that he did not bother about appreciation.
The present exhibition titled ‘An Indian Modernist’ is mounted at Studio Vasant. It has a cross section of his works. From watercolours done in softer floats of colour to life studies and minimalist and expressionist near-abstractions, he did it all.

The water colours carry the stamp of mastery that can emerge from Kolkata alone Look at his soft musical rendition in Landscape-IV and Landscape-II .The Landscape-III and ‘Snow’ are semi-abstract warm orange and yellow sunny landscapes and. in more ways than one are kindred with landscapes of Ganesh Holoi. The loving care with which he handles portraits is visible for example when you see ‘A portrait of a hill girl’. The amazing ease with which he jumps from academism to creative freedom can be seen in works like ‘Children at play’ and ‘Face of a lady.’ reminding one of Matisse’s portrait of his wife. His minimalist Symbolist expression is at its zenith in works like ‘Breeze’, ‘Evening’, and Desertscape’.
Lest you may miss, look at Roy Chowdhury’s example of very contemporary abstraction. His grid like compositions with thick moody brush in ‘Juxtaposed’, ‘Boundless energy’, Urbanscape, leave you asking for more. He to me is an Indian Robert Motherwell whose large canvasses in The MoMa New York Stunned me into submission with the seductive dark and black line work. Ram Kumar romances colours in his abstract landscapes while Roy Choudhery renders silence with his muted frugal palette (see his Hill View) and we love both.
A wide range of creativity from form based to abstraction by this versatile artist are in line with the contemporary German artist Gerhard Richter who works very realistic smudged portraits to total abstract celebration of colour rhythms.
This is an exhibition that should not be missed for historical context, and a landmark art that has incidentally gone largely unrecognized but holds high aesthetic value.

Viktor Vijay Kumar

India Art Summit Delhi 2009

Assembling this work of art in Europe in Austria I used discarded German truck MAN front cover. I liked the symbolism of Man and the circular spool about the Cycle of Man-Nature. Inset in oval is evocation of landscape. The colours in my palette symbolize the serenity(Blue) and joy(red yellow)

Artist Viktor Vijay
MAN German truck front cover, wooden spool, Acrylic paint and canvas
Assemblage in St Michael Austria
Work in collection of Anton Mayer


Art Fairs exert a lot of pressure on legs as on heart. This i know from art fairs in Europe and Museum Night or from Open Studios that is a common practice in West for getting people to know art and artists.
Apart from meeting the community, I did find some very refreshing works by artists who are not even known. Name is the result of umpteen repetitions and one can find the same in case of the art that is churned out as Pavlovian conditioned. But name in modern times is created and destroyed in short spans of time.
I discovered a kind of digital-computer Neo-realism that offers blind servility to the technology in a large number of cases. But there are Gladiators par excellence like Rameshwar Broota. His work combining camera and computer work creates surrealistic imagery. The print on paper evokes human limbs through moulded steel pipes.
More like fast food art is being dished out by a blind use of technology. On to many such works I could not find the soul. Intimidation and shock work were aplenty to make the viewer acquiesce.
I must come back to you after my mind and body plays out the art fatigue.
Till then--
Ciao

Buddha--Eternal Light

Eternal Chakra

Artist :Viktor Vijay

42"X34"

acrylic on canvas

Sanchi Stupa-Below cosmic blue and in green groves

India Madhy Pradesh

I circumbulate, I bow my humble bodily abode, I to your Divine essence drag my sullied deviations and O Buddha! I desire the desireless Blue of the Ether to sublimate the mortar of the material.

I do not wish to be witness to coming and going, to ups and downs, to here and there, to now and then, to love and hatred, to self and the world, to dualities. The velvet of Oneness whispered from the magical Infinite beyond evolution and vanishing is I seek.

viktor vijay